It is important that parents have a seat at the table when it comes to discussing how to create a safe and supportive environment for our children to learn. The National PTA has listed these 15 school safety questions every parents should ask in their Safe and Supportive School resource.
Here are 15 questions to consider asking your administrative staff:
- Â Do we have a school safety team?
- Â Do we have a current safety policy in place?
- Â Do we have a threat assessment protocol? (What is it? Who conducts it?
- Â What type of building safety measures are in place?
- Do we have a School Resource Officer?
- Do we conduct lock down drills? (How often? What do we expect?)
- What happens in the event of an actual emergency?
- What type of student mental health and wellness services are provided?
- Do we have prevention/intervention programs in place?
- Do we have a school psychologist or counselor? (How do I refer my student for services if needed?) (Is staff trained on early intervention and prevention?)
- What is the policy re: bullying?
- Do we have an anonymous reporting system?
- How are we notified about lock down drills?
- How are we notified in an actual event?
- How can students and parents provide ongoing input on school climate and environment?
By working together as parents and staff, we can improve our student safety. Open discussion around this topic is a good way to learn from each other and to provide the support our students need in this ever changing and sometimes scary world.
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